Transgenerational transmission of hyperactivity in a mouse model of ADHD.

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder affecting children and adults. Genetic and environmental factors are associated with the etiology of ADHD. Among the environmental factors, exposure of the developing brain to nicotine is considered a major risk factor. Recent evidence suggests that environmental influences on the brain and behavior may be transmitted from one generation to the next. We used a prenatal nicotine exposure (PNE) mouse model of ADHD to test the hypothesis that PNE-induced hyperactivity, a proxy for human ADHD phenotype, is transmitted from one generation to the next. Our data reveal transgenerational transmission of PNE-induced hyperactivity in mice via the maternal but not the paternal line of descent. We suggest that transgenerational transmission is a plausible mechanism for propagation of environmentally induced ADHD phenotypes in the population.

• Authors: Jinmin Zhu, Kevin P Lee, Thomas J Spencer, Joseph Biederman, Pradeep G Bhide
• Journal: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (J Neurosci) Vol. 34 Issue 8 Pg. 2768-73 (Feb 19 2014) ISSN: 1529-2401 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 24553919 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)

Chemical References

• Central Nervous System Stimulants
• Nicotinic Agonists
• Methylphenidate
• Nicotine

Topics

• Animals
• Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (genetics, psychology)
• Central Nervous System Stimulants (pharmacology)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Environment
• Female
• Male
• Methylphenidate (pharmacology)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Motor Activity (physiology)
• Nicotine (pharmacology)
• Nicotinic Agonists (pharmacology)
• Risk Factors